Title

Author(s)

Gianluigi Mondaini, Francesco Chiacchiera

Affiliation

DICEA UNIVPM

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/TYII8404

Keywords

Ancona, Convent Reuse, Urban Regeneration

PP

670-677

How to Cite

Mondaini, Gianluigi, Francesco Chiacchiera. “Adaptive Reuse Strategies for the Former Convent of San Francesco alle Scale in Ancona.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 670–677. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

In the heart of Ancona’s historic center, the former convent of San Francesco alle Scale — part of the so-called “Isola” of San Francesco — stands as a forgotten yet significant architectural trace. Severely damaged by World War II bombings and the 1971 earthquake, and left in a state of ruin for decades, the complex today represents a latent urban void: a “periphery at the center,” suspended between memory and neglect. This contribution presents an adaptive reuse proposal that aligns with the need to preserve cultural identity in the context of carbon-positive architectural scenarios. Rather than opting for demolition or full reconstruction, the project embraces a low-impact, incremental strategy aimed at regenerating the site through care — understood both as spatial stewardship and as a critical-curatorial approach to the built environment.
The design hypothesis, developed within a thesis design studio, is part of a larger framework agreement signed in 2023 by Università Politecnica delle Marche, the Municipality of Ancona, and the Soprintendenza Marche Nord. It also feeds into a broader urban regeneration agenda involving the Italian State Property Agency (Agenzia del Demanio). The project proposes a partial reactivation of the complex by integrating the existing ruins into a new landscape vision: transforming open spaces and ruined courtyards into a public romantic garden and preserving some areas as “inhabited ruins.” Selected historical spaces are reappropriated with new cultural, educational, and civic functions, inserted in a manner that is reversible and respectful of the existing spatial and material conditions.
This approach foregrounds the potential of adaptive reuse not only as a sustainable practice in terms of carbon footprint and material conservation, but also as a means of preserving and reinterpreting collective memory and identity. By recognizing the value of incompleteness, the fragmentary, and the unfinished, the project reclaims the existing fabric as a dynamic infrastructure — one capable of accommodating new uses while narrating its historical layers. Ultimately, the case study offers a reflection on architectural design as an act of care: one that does not erase or overwrite the past, but rather listens, reveals, and repositions it within the urban life of today

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.